Hydraulic fracturing

摘要

Method and apparatus for forecasting curving of an hydraulic fracture to be initiated in the vicinity of one or more previously placed fractures along a bore hole. Physical parameters that will affect the growth of the hydraulic fracture are received by a dimensionless parameter deriver which derives a series of dimensionless parameters as groupings of the physical parameters that are selected as similarity parameters with respect to the shape of the hydraulic fracture path. The dimensionless parameters may comprise a dimensionless viscosity parameter, a dimensionless confining stress parameter, a coefficient of friction parameter and a dimensionless deviatoric stress parameter. A comparator sequentially compares the determined dimensionless parameters with predetermined threshold values to provide an indication as to possible curving of the hydraulic fracture.

主权项

1. A method for producing a forecast of curving of a new hydraulic fracture to be initiated in a vicinity of one or more fractures previously placed along a bore hole, comprising:
deriving from independent physical parameters that will affect growth of the new hydraulic fracture a series of dimensionless parameters as groupings of the physical parameters, which non-dimensional parameters are selected as similarity parameters with respect to a shape of the path of the new hydraulic fracture; determining from the dimensionless similarity parameters an indication as to curving of the new hydraulic fracture; and producing a forecast in accordance with said indication, wherein the determination of said indication is made by sequentially comparing the determined values of the dimensionless similarity parameters with predetermined threshold values.